Roy E. Maston II

Roy E. Maston II passed away peacefully at his home in Manchester, NH on October 4, 2020. He was 84 years old.

He is survived by his son, Roy E. Maston III (Buddy) of Merrimack, NH, and wife Cyndi, their three daughters, Alyssa, Bailee and Shelby, his daughter, Laura Burton of Wilmington, MA, and husband Vince, and their two daughters, Adele and Evelyn.

Roy was a man who was at his best when helping others. He grew up in Swampscott, MA. When he lost his father at age 12, the firemen in the firehouse next door took him under their wing and set him on the path as a first responder, which largely defined his life. He served as a volunteer fireman in Swampscott where he lived until 1966. During which time he married his high school sweetheart and they soon had 2 children.

In 1966 the family moved to Amherst, NH where he became very involved in the town – starting as a volunteer fireman. At the time the town didn’t have an ambulance service. Roy led the effort to start up the Amherst Rescue Squad, outfitting a new ambulance in his driveway in 1972 and serving as chief for many years. In 1975, the Town of Amherst honored Roy as the first ever “Citizen of the Year” for his significant contributions to the town. Over the years he served as the town Civil Defense Director and was an EMT instructor. And in 1985, he was named EMT of the year by the State of New Hampshire. He also trained many new firemen as an instructor at the NH Fire Academy. His call to duty continued into the 2000s when FEMA called on him to help in NYC after 9/11 and a final trip to New Orleans to assist after Hurricane Katrina.

Roy also contributed to the community by coaching Pop Warner football for all the years that Buddy played and Laura cheered.

Roy enjoyed visiting Cape Cod often as a young man and shared that joy with his family on many summer vacations to Truro. Later on, he enjoyed sailing on the “Grace Bailey” windjammer out of Camden, Maine.

Roy’s early work was as a draftsman for Sanders Corp. in Nashua. But he soon went out on his own and started a medical supply company, Roy’s Emergency Supply, and then American Ambulance Service, based in Loudon, NH, which also served the racetrack, back in the days when motorcycle week was a wild event that kept his ambulance personnel very busy.

In his later years Roy enjoyed golf, claiming that his hole-in-one in 2009 at Highland Links on Cape Cod was one of his proudest moments! He also enjoyed photography, sketching, gardening (particularly tomatoes) and a good jigsaw puzzle. In fact, having completed hundreds of them, we can safely say that no puzzle was too hard for him. Chocolate was also a passion for him, creating and enjoying many fine desserts. And let’s not forget, the ever-present cigar. He loved a good, cheap cigar, right up to the end.

Honoring his wishes, there will not be any services, but his family asks you to celebrate his life by sharing your memories of Roy at www.csnh.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the St. Joseph Community Services – Meals on Wheels, www.mealsonwheelsnh.org/donate-1.

Thank you to all of the wonderful people at No Place Like Home and Amedisys Hospice Service for helping us honor Roy’s final wishes with peace, comfort and dignity.

Assisting with arrangements is the Cremation Society of New Hampshire. To view Roy’s online tribute, send condolences to his family, or for more information, visit www.csnh.com.